Two Axioms: Reflexive Minimalism — Two Postulates for Post-Foundational Inquiry

A short philosophical paper proposing "reflexive stability" as a criterion for foundational postulates once final justification is abandoned (the Münchhausen trilemma). Two postulates are examined — Finitude and the Inescapability of Reason-Giving — each defended by an explicit, checkable pragmatic or formal argument rather than assumed certainty. Includes a minimal formal appendix and a set of self-directed objections.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-08-21
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22050134
Primary Topic
Philosophy and Theoretical Science
Type
preprint
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preprint

Two Axioms: Reflexive Minimalism — Two Postulates for Post-Foundational Inquiry

Max Sedlmair
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Philosophy and Theoretical Science
preprint

Two Axioms: Reflexive Minimalism — Two Postulates for Post-Foundational Inquiry

Max Sedlmair
preprint en

Abstract

A short philosophical paper proposing "reflexive stability" as a criterion for foundational postulates once final justification is abandoned (the Münchhausen trilemma). Two postulates are examined — Finitude and the Inescapability of Reason-Giving — each defended by an explicit, checkable pragmatic or formal argument rather than assumed certainty. Includes a minimal formal appendix and a set of self-directed objections.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Reduced inequalities
Philosophy and Theoretical Science
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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Two Axioms: Reflexive Minimalism — Two Postulates for Post-Foundational Inquiry — Max Sedlmair · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS